Antara 11 Aug 10;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia will implement a moratorium in forest exploitation in 2011, Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan said here on Tuesday.
"It (the moratorium) will be started in 2011," he said through a short text message to ANTARA.
He said the moratorium on conversion of natural and peat land forests for two years was one of the cooperation deals between Indonesia and Norway following the signing of a letter of intent by the two countries.
Based on the LOI signed on May 26, 2010 issuance of new forest conversion license would be stopped for two years as of January 2011.
According to the document the trial implementation of REDD Plus (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) in the first province would be carried out in January 2011 which will be followed in the second province in 2012.
As of January 2011 the funding from Norway totalling US$200 million will also have been operated until 2014.
Zukifli Hasan said the government is now preparing sectors for the implementation of the cooperation program. He said various actions to be taken were establishing a special agency to implement the moratorium and formulating a national action program.
"This year we are preparing the establishment of the institution. The preparation itself is to be done since June until December 2010," he said.
Zukifli said there are five areas that have been proposed for a pilot project namely Kampar (Riau), Central and East Kalimantan, Bengkulu and Papua.
The Norwegian government later will choose one of them to adjust with the REDD+ pilot project.
He hoped with the two-year moratorium Indonesia would be able to reduce carbon emissions until 26 percent in 2020.
He said the cooperation between Indonesia and Norway as the first and the method is expected to be used as a model for other countries.
Zukifli admited forest condition in Indonesia was critical and therefore the moratorium should serve as one of the solutions for the problem.
"Our forests need to be put in order. We have stopped issuance of license for tree felling and exploitation of peatland and primary forests," he said.(*)
